Buah pena or fruit of the pen was started as an online diary of a citizen reporter. Time goes by, and I think being just a blogger is nicer than being a citizen reporter. Yet, it is important to keep a balancing diary. Online diary is kind of reporting too. So, I keep on doing my self experiment on living in the cyber space.

Friday, 18 January 2008

There are a lot of opportunities provided in the rainforest. Ecotourism is one of the opportunities that will help local people to empower themselves. Yet, we do have a lot of studies that also show the negative impacts of ecotourism.

There are some news about the possibility of opening 33 new roads in Taman Nasional Kerinci Seblat (TNKS). Knowing both the need from the local people to have a better access and the rapid destruction a new access (not to say 33!) would bring, I wrote this article combining my experience as a young architect in the forest and the recent fact. It is written in the series of recognizing passion, opportunities, and luck. This one is about "Recognizing the opportunity that was lost in the forest". It is about my failure to take my chances with WWF Indonesia in the forest of TNKS, but it is actually dedicated towards the new generation to take a better stand for the rainforests. It is also about the opportunities to develop our forest as economic valuable object, we could loose it if we are not act wisely now!

We do need creative and bright young people who can keep their idealism to work for the benefit of the forest and its people. I hope some readers will be inspired to share their thoughts (and hopefully for young schoolers to make them interested in this matter too!). I do hope that readers from the government office can try to make better coordination between their offices and the NGOs.